Sound-controlling device for talking picture apparatus



lJan. 2, 1934. 1,942,068

souND'cNTRoLLING DEVICE FQR TALKING PICTURE APPARATUS F. H. owENs ATTNEY.

Filed Nov. 6. 1929 Patented Jan. 2, 1934 f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SOUND-CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR TALK- ING PICTURE APPARATUS 6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in sound controlling devices for talking picture apparatus, the principal object of the invention being to provide a centralized device for controlling the volume of the sounds reproduced in connection with motion pictures.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in combination with a plurality of loud speakers, means for regulating said speakers en masse or individually thereby to control the volume of sound delivered by the speakers as a unit or at any given point in the layout of said speakers.

A further object of the invention is to provide, in combination with4 a plurality of loud speakers, of means whereby the entire layout of speakers or certain predetermined groups thereof, lor the individual speakers of the layout may be regulated to control the volume of sound.

Other objects and advantages of the inventionwill appear as the description proceeds.

In the drawing accompanying this specication,

Figure 1- is a vperspective view illustrating diagrammatically a battery of loud speakers and the centralized control board therefor arranged according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan View showing the relative arrangement of the controlling rheostats at the controlling station;

Figure 3 is a detail cross sectional view through the control panel, taken along a line approximately corresponding with the line 3--3 of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view illustrating diagrammatically a picture projector and sound reproducing apparatus adapted for use with the present invention. i

The same characters of reference designate the same parts in the different figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a por-- tion of a projection booth such as is usually employedin moving picture theatres, in which booth is disposed a projector unit for projecting moving pictures through an opening 3 in the wall of the booth and on to a screen, (not shown). Within the booth is also disposed a sound reproducing unit 4 each of said units having the usual film supply and take up reels 5 and 6 respectively.

The sound reproducing unit 4 is electrically con- `acted with the input of a suitable amplifier '7, the output of which is connected by wires 8 and 9 with a mastercontrol rheostat 10 disposed at the underside of the panel 11 of a cabinet 12 which constitutes the control station for a battery of loud speakers preferably located behind the screen on which the ,pictures are projected.

As shown herein the speakers are arranged in three horizontal rows A, B and C, the individual speakers of the respective rows being in vertical alignment. The control cabinet is preferably disposed at a suitable position to permit the sound director to observe the` volume of the reproduced sounds emitted from the speakers, and mounted on the underside of the panel l1 are a plurality of rheostats, one for each of the loud speakers, said rheostats being similarly arranged in horizontal rows D, E and F, the individual rheostats of the respective rows being in alignment transversely of said horizontal rows. Each of the loud speakers is electrically connected with its corresponding rheostat; that is to say, the speakers in the .A row are individually connected with the rheostats in the D row, the speakers in the B row are individually connected with the rheostats in the E row, and the speakers on the C row are individually connected with the rheostats in the F row.

In addition to the arrangement of individual rheostats above described, rheostats are provided for independently controlling the horizontal rows of speakers. These row-controlling rheostats are designated 13, 14 and 15 respectively in Figure 2 and are preferably disposed at the underside of the control panel 11 in horizontal alignment respectively with the rows of rheostats D, E and F, the wire connections between the rheostats 13, 14 and 15 and the horizontal rows of speakers A, B and C being such that all of the speakers in any one row will be regulated 'as a unit by theoperation of the particular rheostat connected with that row.

The present invention also comprehends the provision of means for controlling as a unit all of the speakers which are in vertical alignment. For this purpose a plurality of rack bar s 16, one for each vertical row of aligned speakers, are mounted for sliding movement on the underside of the control panel. The operating knobs or buttons 17 of the individual rheostats of the respective horizontal rows D, E and F, which knobs of course are on the outside of the control panel, are secured on elongated shafts 18 mounted for rotation and for axial movement in said panel, Ion the inner end of each of which shafts is secured a pinion 19, all of the pinions in alignment transversely of the horizontal rows of rheostats being adapted to mesh with a single rack bar whereby reciprocation of that particular rack bar will cause rotation of the shafts of all of the i with the rack bar, as shown clearly in Figure 3,

in which position the rheostats controlling the vertically aligned speakers may be individually operated. For moving the pinions into rack-engaging position, levers 20 are pivotedv adjacent to said pinions, each of said levers being provided at its inner end with a shoe or cam 21 so disposed with relation to its Acompanion pinion that when the lever is swung on its pivot in one direction its shoe will engage the end of the shaft and push the same axially, thus carrying the pinion into mesh with the rack bar in a manner which will be readily understood. The levers 20 extend through slots 21 formed in the control panel 11 and are provided at their outer ends with hand grips 22 for convenience in operation. For controlling the movement of the individual rack bars a plurality of knobs 23, one for each rack bar, are secured on shafts 24 mounted for rotation in the control panel, to the inner end of each of which shafts is secured a pinion 25 which is constantly in mesh with its companion rack bar, whereby upon rotation of the knob 23 the rack bar will be moved longitudinally thereby to regulate the transversely aligned rheostats as above described.

A signal light 26 is provided on the control panel adjacent each knob 23, and is suitably connected in the circuit whereby the director is apprised at a glance which loud speakers are on and which are ofE.

It Will thus be apparent that the present invention provides an apparatus by means of which a plurality of loud speakers can be regulated en masse, or in units of horizontal rows, or in units of vertical rows, or individually. It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular number of speakers shown herein, since they may be multiplied indenitely, and the details of construction and arrangement may be modied considerably without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. The combination with a plurality of sound reproducing devices disposed in parallel horizontal and vertical rows, of a rheostat in electrical connection with all of said devices for regulating the volume of them simultaneously, independent rheostats in connection with the 4respective horizontal rows for simultaneously regulating the volume of all of the devices in either of said rows, and means for simultaneousing the individual rheostats corresponding to the respective vertical rows for simultaneously regulating the volume of all of the devices in either of said vertical rows.

3. The combination with a plurality of sound reproducing devices disposed in parallel horizontal and vertical rows, of a rheostat in electrical connection with all of said devices for regulating the volume of them simultaneously, an individual rheostat connected with each of said devices for regulating the volume of it independently of all the others, a rheostat connected with the devices in each of said horizontal rows for regulating the volume of each row independently, independent means connecting the individual rheostats corresponding to the respective vertical rows for simultaneously regulating the volume of all of the devices in either of said vertical rows, and means for selectively operating said connecting means.

4. The combination with a plurality of sound reproducing devices disposed in parallel horizont'al and vertical rows, of a rheostat in electrical connection with all of said devices for regulating the volume of them simultaneously, an individual rheostat connected with each of said devices for regulating the volume of it independently of all the others, a rheostat connected with the devices in each of said horizontal rows for regulating the volume of each row independently, a slidable rack for each of said vertical rows, a pinion carried by the actuating member of each of said individual rheostats, all of the pinions corresp'onding to each vertical row being normally out of mesh with their respective rack bars, and means for selectively moving the pinions into rack bar engaging position.

5. The combination with a plurality of sound reproducing devices disposed in parallel horizontal and vertical rows, of a rheostat in electrical connection with all of said devices for regulating the volume of them simultaneously, an individual rheostat connected with each of said devices for regulating the volume of it independently of all the others, a rheostat connected with the devices in each of said horizontal rows for regulating the volume of each row independently, a slidable rack for each of said vertical rows, a pinion carried by the actuating member of each of said individual rheostats, all of the pinions corresponding to each vertical row being normally out of mesh with their respective rack bars, and pivoted levers for selectively moving the pinions into rackbar engaging position.

6. The combination with a plurality of sound reproducing devices disposed in parallel horizontaland vertical rows, of a control station disposed in proximity to said devices, said station having a master control rheostat adapted to control the volume of all of said devices as a unit, a rheostat for each horizontal row of devices adapted to control the volume of its row as a unit, individual rheostats for controlling the volume of all of said devices independently, and means for actuating the rlieostats corresponding to all of the devices in either of said vertical rows independently of the other rows.

FREEMAN H. OWENS. 

